You know how when you visit a foreign country and you eat their local food and it stays with you ? Well Lebanese is a cuisine that I started to love even more after I visited Dubai a few years back. Eating falafel and shawarmas from a local shop near our hotel was amazing and even better than most of the stuff at the restaurants. Local food is the best to learn about any cuisine and I plan to eat it more often on my trips to understand the true flavours and you should too! So I made these falafels for dinner and they were very similar in taste ! It's gonna be a regular dinner for me for sure ! Enjoy.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups chickpeas  ( soaked overnight )

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

2 tsp Baharat masala (lebanese masala)

1 tsp chopped garlic

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion ( finely chopped )

You can find the recipe for my Hummus here

Method

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and process till combined.

Roll the mixture and keep in a bowl in the refrigerator for half an hour.

Roll the mixture into balls and deep fry !

Serve with lemon and hummus and pita.

09:25:00

Hummus is a Lebanese dip made out of chickpeas. It's so versatile in flavour options  and goes perfectly with and kind of Bread. It makes for a beautiful chips and dip platter for an impromptu dinner or lunch.

The colour of the beetroot hummus is so vibrant that it has definitely attracted everyone who has ever tasted it at my home.

And the chilli one is perfect for those who can take a hit of spice!

 It's refreshing and so easy to make. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

Beetroot Hummus

1 cup boiled chickpeas

1/2tsp chopped garlic

1/2 a beetroot (chopped into 1/2inch cubes )

1tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Salt to taste ( about 1/2 tsp )

1-2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp tahini

Spicy hummus

1 cup boiled chickpeas

1/2tsp chopped garlic

1 tsp paprika

1tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Salt to taste ( about 1/2 tsp )

1-2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp tahini

METHOD

Beetroot Hummus

In a saucepan , boil the chopped beetroot in a cup of water till it is soft.

Then transfer the beetroot along with 2 tbsp of the boiling water to a processor and purée it till you have a fine paste.

Add all the other ingredients and purée till everything is fully combined.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Chilli Hummus

Add all the ingredients to a food processor and purée till combined.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Serve with some toasted pita bread or lavaash.

03:50:00

Thai is definitely one of my favourite cuisines. I love how simple flavours combine to form the most complex dishes. It's sweet , salty , bitter and spicy all at once ! Not only are dishes perfect to enjoy as a part of any meal they are also super easy to make. All you need are some good quality ingredients.

So this is my mothers recipe and I love it since it's super easy to make and has limited ingredients. Also I'm not a big fan of raw vegetables and find it difficult  to like salads ,this one is an exception as I just exclude the vegetables and enjoy the flavour of the raw papaya. So I hope this salad appeals to all the picky eaters out there because it definitely works for those  I know. Enjoy !

INGREDIENTS                                    SERVES 2

1 large green papaya

2 tbsp palm sugar

2tsp soy sauce 

1tsp fish sauce

salt to taste 

2 thai red chillies (thinly sliced)

juice of 2 limes

1/2 tsp minced garlic

1/2 cup peanuts

Sundried tomatoes (optional)

METHOD

• Place the lime juice, palm sugar,chillies ,salt , soy sauce and fishsauce in a mortar and combine everything with the pestle.
• Toss the papaya, tomatoes and peanuts with this paste.
• Serve immediately  

05:00:00